The Truth Shall Set You Free
by Kristen3
Summary: Set after "Motor Skills." When Daphne confronts him about the fake certificates, Niles has no choice but to tell the truth. Will this revelation bring them closer together? One-shot, rating is for minor profanity.


Daphne walked into the Crane living room, sighing. The couch was a mess, covered in dog hair, not only from Eddie, but also Roz's new dalmatian. Well, no one else was going to clean it, so she might as well take care of it. She began straightening out Dr. Crane's beloved pillows, making sure they were precisely as he liked them. Then, she glanced at the floor, seeing a small piece of paper there.

She bent down, picking it up. It was probably garbage, but she looked at it anyway. It was a receipt, from someplace called Cool Copy. That was odd. But her curiosity quickly changed to anger when she saw what had been purchased. Two certificates. "That night-school class," she muttered to herself. "Bloody hell. I was so proud of him, too!"

Just then, Niles came in. "Hello," he said, smiling at once. He walked over, eager to take her in his arms. Only when he got closer did he notice the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Care to explain this?" she asked, showing him what she'd found.

"That?" Niles said. "It's nothing, really." But he could feel the beginnings of a nosebleed at once. He decided the truth was best. "Frasier and I…..we didn't actually complete that auto mechanics class." He hung his head.

"Niles, why?" Daphne asked. "Your father and I were so proud of you two. I can't believe this."

"You have every right to be angry," Niles said. "We found that the class was harder than we expected. We got behind almost immediately, and it was too embarrassing to ask for help, so we just started to...goof off."

Daphne couldn't believe it. The two Crane boys had always taken education seriously. They'd never goofed off a day in their lives. "You did?"

Niles nodded. "We passed notes to each other...in French." He hung his head, even more ashamed of what he'd done.

"I knew the class might be a challenge for you. You and your brother aren't exactly accustomed to working with cars. But I never imagined this!"

"I know," Niles said. "Eventually, the instructor got tired of our behavior, and he threw us out. Literally locked us out of the room. It was horrible. Frasier and I realized we should never have tried to be something we're not. But we couldn't admit that to you and Dad, so….we bought fake certificates."

"You let your father and me make such a fuss over you two, knowing all of this? It's terrible."

"I know, and I have no excuse to offer. We behaved like the very students Frasier and I hated during our school days. But we couldn't bear to disappoint you. You said you liked that I could come to your rescue, remember?"

Daphne nodded. "I did. But don't you see? That isn't why I love you. I love you because you're _you_. Faults and all."

At that moment, Niles realized how lucky he was. After two failed marriages, he was well aware that not all women saw him as she did. "Thank you," he said, kissing her.

"You're welcome," Daphne said as the kiss ended. "But I still don't like what you did."

Just then, Martin walked in. "What did I do?"

"Not you, your son. Or rather, both of your sons," Daphne replied.

Martin turned to Niles, waiting for an explanation.

Niles suddenly felt like a kid again, confessing to wrongdoing. But, just as when he was a child, there was no other way out. "Frasier and I lied about completing that course. We bought fake certificates."

"What?" Martin's eyes widened in shock. "I was so proud of you boys. How could you have done this?"

Another wave of shame washed over Niles, but he knew he deserved it. "We started goofing off, and we got kicked out of class. We didn't want to disappoint the two of you, so we lied."

Martin knew kids did this all of the time. If his sons had been in high school, that would've been one thing. But they were grown men, who should've known better. "I don't believe it," was all he could think to say.

"I know, Dad. And I feel terrible. I know Frasier does, too. We were stupid and immature. I don't blame you for being angry."

Something in Niles' expression softened Martin, just the slightest bit. "I should've known this was too good to be true. The one time my sons do something I can really feel proud of, it turns out to be a lie." But he sighed, realizing that there was no sense in making Niles feel any worse. "Well, what's done is done." Martin walked off, still shaking his head in disbelief.

Niles turned to Daphne. "I feel like the worst person on Earth."

Daphne hugged him, rubbing his back as she held him. "Hush. You're not the first person to ever goof off in school, you know. Me brothers used to do it so much it's a wonder they even graduated." She laughed. The Moon boys couldn't be less like the Crane brothers if they tried.

Once again, Niles could see why he'd fallen in love with Daphne. He laughed, knowing she was trying to make him feel better. "I'm so sorry. I know I've already said that, but I can never say it enough. I'll never lie to you again."

She kissed him, wrapping her arms around him. He did the same. In spite of what had just happened, Daphne found that she'd never felt more safe than she did now. Incredibly, the truth had not only set Niles free, it had set her free in a way, too. Their love was stronger, because it was built on a foundation of truth and honesty. Daphne knew there could never be a stronger basis for a relationship.

 **The End**


End file.
